Koru stolen from Dargaville grave, family calls it ‘sacrilege’

The koru on the headstone of Dargaville man Mike Mudford is missing, leaving his family devastated.

The daughter of a Kaipara community stalwart has described the theft from his grave in a Dargaville cemetery as sacrilege.

Pipiwai resident Leah Reweti has demanded the return of a koru stolen from her father Michael [Mike] Mudford’s headstone.

Mudford died in March 2022 and was buried at Old Mt. Wesley Cemetery.

His widow, Jeanne, visited his grave on Sunday to find the taonga missing.

“She told me [on Sunday] it was like losing him all over again,” Reweti said.

“We were just shattered and in disbelief. Is nothing safe anymore?”

Reweti said her father was the type of man who would “give the shirt off his back for anyone”.

“My anger has not subsided yet. I’m a big ball of emotions. [But] my heartache is for Jeanne, she’s 84, and she misses dad so very much,” Reweti said.

Her father was known particularly as a co-founder of Kaurilands Skills Centre Trust.

The trust offers care and employment opportunities for adults with cognitive disabilities.

Mudford worked tirelessly for the disabled community and was well-known in Dargaville, she said.

Reweti believes the koru – worth about $2000 – was taken after thieves sawed through a bolt attaching it to the headstone.

“It is sacrilege,” she said.

The koru atop the grave of Michael [Mike] Mudford is believed to have been taken after thieves sawed through a bolt.

Reweti is calling for information that leads to the safe return of the koru.

She believed it would have taken more than one person to remove.

“If it’s not the crazy person who took it, the family or someone has got to know they’ve got it.

“You just can’t do this s**t and get away with it.”

Reweti said it was a heavy item and would have required some planning to steal.

She wondered whether those responsible had seen the grave while walking along a nearby track.

“He was in full view of everyone walking through there.

Leah Reweti said it was sacrilege for someone to remove the koru atop her father's headstone.

Reweti said her father had chosen the Old Mt. Wesley Cemetery as his final resting place, and his grave was one of the newer ones at the site.

The koru was the perfect fit for her dad’s grave and was a symbol she was fond of, she said.

“It looked majestic and beautiful.”

Reweti said her father would be distressed at the hurt the theft had caused her and Jeanne.

The community had also reacted with shock, Reweti said.

“Everyone is just mortified.”

Jeanne Mudford is devastated at the loss of the koru atop her late husband Mike Mudford's [pictured] headstone.

Reweti wants anyone with information to contact her via her Facebook page.

A reward has been offered for information that leads to its safe return.

A Kaipara District Council spokesperson said reports of theft within council-operated cemeteries were uncommon.

Kaipara’s council-run cemeteries had general security practices in place.

“Along with the expectation of respect for the loved one who has been laid to rest,” the spokesperson said.

Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.